SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. - (Business Wire)
Averion International Corp. (OTC BB:
AVRO), a full service international clinical research organization (CRO) specializing in oncology, cardiovascular diseases and medical devices, today announced the appointment of Peter C. Gonze as Executive Vice President of Global Business Development. In this role, he will oversee Averion
’s global business development and marketing activities, and will serve on the Company
’s Executive Management Team.
“Peter brings the necessary sales, marketing and operational management experience to grow Averion’s global sales. We will continue to pursue new business opportunities in North America and Europe, and plan to expand our geographic and therapeutic capabilities in emerging regions of the world.” said Markus H. Weissbach, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Averion International, “I welcome Peter to our senior management team and look to him to lead our sales growth and position Averion as a top-tier international CRO.”
“I am pleased to be joining Averion at a time in which I believe the Company is well positioned for substantial growth. As a past purchaser of CRO services, I know how critically important this service is to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and I look forward to using my past experience to grow Averion’s global sales” said Peter Gonze.
Mr. Gonze brings more than 35 years of pharmaceutical sales, marketing and development experience to Averion. He has extensive leadership experience developing and commercializing products at biotech, pharmaceutical, device and consumer healthcare companies. For the past 6 years Mr. Gonze was the Chief Operating Officer at Unither Pharmacueticals, Inc, a company focused on immunotherapeutic vaccines for oncology indications. He has broad experience in all aspects of commercial operations having held senior level positions in business development, commercial operations and general management with pharmaceutical and biotech companies including: GlaxoSmithKline, RhonePoulenc Rorer (now SanofiAventis), Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Diagnostics- Medisense, and AltaRex, Corp.
About Averion International Corp.
Averion International Corp. is a leading international CRO with proven expertise in supporting global clinical trials for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies. The Company has a therapeutic focus in oncology, cardiovascular diseases and medical devices. Averion’s core competencies are in FDA and product registration support, site selection, project management, medical and site monitoring, data management, biometrics, pharmacovigilance, medical writing, and full clinical trial management services throughout the clinical trials lifecycle. The Company has supported FDA approvals for products in many therapeutic areas including oncology, cardiovascular diseases and medical devices.
Averion is headquartered in Southborough, Mass., with European operations based in Basel, Switzerland. Averion has additional U.S. offices in California, Maryland and New York; and additional offices outside the U.S. in France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Poland, Russia, Israel, Germany, Austria, and Ukraine. We have additional operation centers in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, and research partnerships in India, Asia and South America. For more information, visit www.averionintl.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
Statements contained in this press release that are not historical information are forward-looking statements as defined within the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "project," or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could," or "may." Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: our ability to attract, retain or integrate key personnel, including scientific and technical personnel; the termination, modification or delay of contracts which would, among other things, adversely impact our recognition of revenue included in backlog and our cash-on-hand; risks associated with our pursuit of strategic acquisitions or investment in new markets; our ability to acquire and integrate new businesses; our dependence on certain industries and clients; our ability to adequately protect sensitive patient information and confidential information of clients; our ability to keep pace with rapid technological changes; fluctuation in our operating results; our ability to service our outstanding debt and comply with requirements, including financial covenants, associated with that debt; our ability to recruit suitable volunteers for the clinical trials of our clients; our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations and international economic, political and other risks; our ability to develop and market new services in the U.S., Europe and internationally; the highly competitive nature of our market; our exposure to changes in outsourcing trends in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries; the impact of government regulation on our business; whether we can achieve and maintain effective internal controls; and other risks. Certain of these risks and uncertainties, in addition to other risks, are more fully described in the Company's annual report on Form 10-KSB for the period ending December 31, 2007 and in the Company's other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Media Contact:
Averion International Corp.
Gillian Dellacioppa, 508-597-6000
gillian.dellacioppa@averionintl.com
or
Investor Contact:
Averion International Corp.
Lawrence R. Hoffman, 508-597-6000
larry.hoffman@averionintl.com
